Fifteen Ways to Fight the Freshman Fifteen!

College is supposed to bring out the best in us, so why is it that most college freshmen end up afflicted by the dreaded Freshman Fifteen?  Never heard of it?  The Freshman Fifteen is the fifteen lbs that the average college freshman gains during their first year at school.

You've all seen them before.  People who left high school looking svelte and come back looking swelled the next summer.

To that end, enjoy our 15 Ways to Fight the Freshman Fifteen.

1- Get Motivated
Self-motivation is NOT EASY.  We all have the best intentions, but it is human nature to lose motivation over time.  If self-motivation were easy we'd all be budding millionaires on the dean's list.

That is why this simple technique is so effective.  All you have to do is grab one of these cheap posters (we are partial to the pictured ones of Beyonce or Channing Tatum) and stick it up in a spot that you will see it every day.  Nothing is going to keep you more on your food and fitness regimen than seeing your goal body staring back at you when you wake up every morning.

We picked up those two posters on the right for under ten bucks apiece, and have them stuck to the doors of our office's elevator as a reminder to take the stairs.

Once you have the proper motivation, then you can move on to the next step.






2- Exercise
You need to work out while you're in college.  We know, we know, your metabolism rocks.  You've stayed slim all through high school without exercising, why start now?  Well that's exactly how the Freshman 15 sneaks up on people!  You're going to be sleeping more, eating fewer home cooked meals, and likely having a few drinks in between.  Plus you're a grownup now, your metabolism is going to begin to change.  YOU.  NEED.  TO.  WORK.  OUT.

But don't fret.  We can make it easy.

First, get yourself a gym bag and a water bottle.  Like we mentioned in our Money Saving article, freebies are a college student's best friend (like this free sports bag and water bottle freebie that we capitalized on last week).

Next, scope out your school's gym.  A lot of schools include a basic membership to the campus gym in the cost of tuition, so you might as well use it.  However, we realize that the gym can be intimidating, especially for a beginner.  Rather than dealing with people rolling their eyes at the newbie and leaving their sweat all over the machines, there are more private alternatives.

If you have the space, that upright bike machine pictured above is AMAZING for getting your cardio in.  It's such good quality, is very compact (good for dorms), and it's on sale right now so you're going to get it for less than you'd pay for a cheap model.  It's A+ quality.

Having a whole set of weights in your room is most likely not going to be an option considering the premium placed on space in most college dorms.  The absolute best option for weights is adjustable dumbbells.  A set of two of adjustable dumbbells replaces a set of 15 traditional dumbbells.  It's incredible, perfect for the dorm.


If you're on a really tight budget we have you covered! You can get a set of these amazing push up handles and this compact sit-up bench for less than $15 each.  That way you have easy workouts for your abs, arms, shoulders, chest, back and core and you spent less than the cost of a large pizza.

If you're on a tight budget and you're lazy we STILL have you covered.  You can pick up the waist trimmer belt pictured on the left and a pair of these ankle weights for $10-$15.  The waist trimmer belt targets belly fat and helps you sweat off your tummy, and you can just toss the ankle weights on in the morning and never think about them again.  They'll turn your regular walk to and from class into a killer workout and you won't even notice it's happening!




3- Monitor Your Food Intake: Eat Less
College is a stressful time for most of us, and stressful times usually lead to stress eating.  When we are away from home on our own at college we have so much more choice for food than we are used to, and on top of that our school meal plan card can seem endless.  That is why we like to use this completely safe, all natural way to curb our appetite when we notice ourselves over eating.

When we are going to put something in our bodies we ALWAYS like to go the natural route.  There are a lot of nasty chemical appetite suppressants on the market, but we know we can trust this one because it's made from all natural ingredients found in nature.

Please use this responsibly.  Don't take it in order to starve yourself, simply take it in order to control your over eating.


4- Monitor Your Food Intake: Eat Healthier
We know that maybe you didn't appreciate your mom's cooking while you were living at home, but after a few months away your tummy is going to be begging for a healthy home-cooked meal.  Eating badly is the number one reason for the freshman fifteen.  


Watch what you eat in these simple ways:

• Follow a diet.  The office is split on which diet is best.  We have a few people who like to keep to the Beverly Hills diet, and a couple of folks who are using a volumetrics eating plan.  Pick the one that's best for you!

• Boost your metabolism.  We picked up this great book and this great book on a whim because they were so cheap and learned so much about our metabolism and how to boost it.  For like $3 apiece, it's a HUGE return on investment there.

• Watch your drinking.  There are a lot of calories in alcohol, especially beer.  Moderate your intake for the good of your beach body!

• Shop better.  Know what to look for and what not to look for when you're grocery shopping.

• Go gluten free.  Not only will it make you feel better, but by cutting out gluten you will also cut out a lot of simple carbs in the process.  Fewer simple carbs = less flab.

• Or go full Paleo.  The diet that started a revolution.  Following the Paleo diet is, in our opinion, the best way to feeling like the best version of yourself.

• Be mindful of your food triggers.  A lot of people don't realize that certain things trigger our eating bad things at bad times.  Find your food triggers and be mindful of them.

• Substitute good food for bad food.  Eat This Not That has literally thousands of ways you can substitute healthy alternatives for unhealthy items without sacrificing any of the flavor.  Such a simple way to stay healthy.

• Keep a food journal.  This one will help you eat less AND eat healthier.  It's just a good idea to write down what you eat and when to get a sense of good and bad patterns in your eating habits.

Not a single book in the list above is more than $4.  You can't use being poor as an excuse for the freshman fifteen when the answer is that cheap.

5- Keep Yourself In Check
 You need to be mindful of yourself and your body.  If you forget about yourself and let inertia take over just for a few days, you could be on your way to the dreaded freshman fifteen!

At the very least you must pick up a weighing scale to check your progress.  We like this model because it's less than five bucks (don't be scared by the .co.uk webaddress, they handle transactions in all currencies and have FREE NORTH AMERICAN SHIPPING). 

This model (pictured above right) is not just a weighing scale, but also a body fat indicator.  This is great because you sure to start putting on a bit of lean muscle if you take your health seriously.  If you put on a bit of muscle, your weight might stay the same while your body fat plummets, which is the ideal scenario.


Using a progress measuring tape (like the one on the left) is another great way to measure this.  When you're getting in shape, your weight might stay the same but the measuring tape will show the inches dropping off your waistline.




6- Get A Partner & Keep Each Other In Check

Whether its a work-out partner to help drag your butt to the gym in the morning.  Or a gluten-free partner, to help make you feel like less of an outcast when you can't eat that doughnut.  Or perhaps a cooking at home partner, who will help you shop for good groceries and plan healthy meals to cook together.  It's much easier not to succumb to inertia and peer pressure with someone else there to help support you (plus adding a healthy amount of guilt about not wanting to let the other person down is a great motivator in and of itself).

7- Cook For Yourself
Not only is this a great way to save money (eating out, even at the cafeteria, can blow a hole in your bank account super quick), but it's the best way to keep tabs on what you put into your body.

First we think everyone, college student or not, should own The Biggest Loser cookbook (pictured on the left).  It's less that $4 and it has some of the most delicious meals in it.  The fact that they are diet meals is just a bonus.

However, variety is the spice of life.  Once you've worked your way through the 125 recipes in the Biggest Loser book, there are 500 more recipes in this book that we love (pictured on the right).  All of the recipes are 400 calories or under.  If you're eating 400 calorie meals every day, it's IMPOSSIBLE that you'l gain weight.




8- Detox

If Beyonce believes in detoxing, then so do we!  Sometimes our bodies need a little help to get rid of those icky toxins that build up in our modern world.  Helping your body with a regular slimming detox like the one on the left will help your organs run more efficiently, but also get rid of those nasty toxins that cause belly fat.

We got really into detoxing when we read this book and also this book.

Our favourite detox slimming drops are actually on sale right now.  We just stocked up our supply today!




9- Apps
We live in the future.  Smartphones mean we have every piece of information in human history in our pockets every day.  They also give us the ability to have powerful health, fitness and weight loss apps with us at all times.

Abs
This is the BEST iPhone app if you want great abs, bar NONE.  But if you're an iPad user who wants a sexy stomach, this app is the most comprehensive, customizable abdominal app on the market.

Diet
If you want an app that helps you watch what you eat and track your nutrition, this is the one for you.  It is super in depth yet simple to use.

Eating Out
Another invaluable app you'll need is one that tells you all the nutritional information from the menus of restaurants and fast food joints.  You're going to eat out, even the best of us do, so you'll need to know what you're eating to keep yourself in check.  For you iPad folks, this is the one.

Working Out
Everyone we know already has this exercise app, but if you haven't gotten it yet you absolutely MUST.  It's also on the iPad, most of us here have it on both.


10- Weight Loss

Okay, so maybe you've caught yourself half way through the freshman 15 (the freshman 7.5?) or later.  Fear not, you can still go back!  There are a lot of weight loss products on the market today, but who knows what you can trust?  That's why we prefer to stay natural when we need to slim down a little bit.  If there are things growing in nature that can do exactly what those scary pharmaceuticals can do, then why not stay clean and natural?

A handful of people here have used hypnosis to lose and control their weight to great success, also!



11- Reduce Cellulite

Sometimes we can do everything right and still not get our desired effect.  Cellulite is something that both men and women can be hit with.  It's a stubborn affliction that can hang on even while you are eating well and working out regularly.

The opinions in our office were split on which cellulite reducer is the best, though.  Some like the black tube pictured on the top right  (especially since it's on sale right now), but others swear by the white tube on the bottom right.

If you try them both, please leave us a comment to help settle the argument!

12- Supplements / Vitamins
Unless you're rich and can afford to buy fresh organic fruits and veggies every day, you're going to need to supplement your diet with something to get the vitamins and minerals you need.  Getting an idea of what kind of things your diet lacks would be a good start (try the questionnaire on the left to get an idea of what supplements you might need).

This encyclopedia of vitamins, minerals and supplements is like three bucks and its invaluable to knowing what to take and when.  Also under $4, we recommend this supplement/vitamin guide as well.

You're also going to get a lot of misinformation about this stuff from well-meaning people at school.  Educate yourself on what is and isn't a safe supplement for you to take.  If you don't want to go with supplements, something like this can help your body absorb the good stuff you do get in your daily diet to strengthen your bones and organs.


12- Hydrate

Drink lots water.  This one is important, as studies show that practically everyone in North America is dehydrated on a day to day basis.  Drinking the proper amount of water will help you lose and control weight, help you get clearer skin and nicer hair, help you get a good night's sleep and improve your mood and mental alertness.  Water really is the best.  But we also understand that it can be a bit of a hassle to remember to get all that water in.  Your first step is to get a water bottle that you can take with you throughout the day.  

• We found this cute gym set which includes a water bottle, a bag, a towel and more for under $5.  It comes in black, too!  Don't be scared by the .co.uk web address, they have currency converters and free shipping!
• A couple of us use this sturdy bottle because it keep water cold, has the great one-way spout, and can stand up to being dropped thirty times a day.
• Any Amazing Race fans are going to really like this one.  It's 50% off right now and made of tough metal (confession: we are Amazing Race fans).

13- Sleep
Look, you're going to get a little sleep deprived in college.  Even if you don't party every night, studying for tests and writing papers is going to keep you up late enough.  But it's extremely important to get the proper amount of sleep whenever you can.

The first step in anything is understanding it.  This book is a great guide for learning how to best get your proper night's sleep.  It also has a lot of info and tips to help people with insomnia or irregular sleep patterns.

Next, try a sleep aid!  Again, we like to stay as natural as possible.  Especially with something like this, you don't want to mess around with scary pharmaceuticals.  If it's night time anxiety, bad dreams or over thinking in bed that keeps you up, then this is the absolute best stuff for that.  It sounds silly, but it honestly puts you in the best mood for sleep and gives you the best dreams!

If you're a bargain hunter, this AMAZING all natural and organic insomnia treatment is 50% off!  It's so so good.  The same people make this really great all natural and organic sleep aid, which is also on sale!  Honestly both are great.  The first one is best if you're already prone to irregular sleep, and the second one is just a great nightly sleep aid for if you really want a restful night's sleep.

Using your smartphone or tablet to aid in your sleep is also a great move.  Our whole team got this Sleep Cycle alarm clock for iPhone when it last went on sale for 99cents.  It makes sure you wake up at the optimum time for your body so you always wake up feeling refreshed. And, maybe this goes without saying, but the world-famous Brain Wave sleep aid app for iPad app is unreal for helping get a good night's sleep.  Honestly it's a MUST HAVE for any iPad owner who needs to sleep.

14- Great Work Out Attire
Buying great work out clothes is going to make you want to go to the gym.  We aren't making that up, it's science!  Like, you know how when you buy a new outfit you really love you can't WAIT to wear it?  Work out clothes that you feel great in has the same effect.  When it comes to looking great in functional work out clothes, there is nothing better than 6PM.  It always has free standard shipping on ALL orders.  We swear by it.

Bargain hunters will dig this 50% off Nautilus work out shirt.  You might as well make it an outfit, because these women's work out shorts are super comfy and also happen to be half-off!

As for shoes, it's no contest.  Women look no further than here.  Men look no further than here.  We mean it.  End of discussion.  THE.  BEST.




15- Have A Plan

There's no point being motivated if you don't have a plan.  But, let's be honest, no one in college knows how to make a plan.  We can help!

First, stick this poster (on the left) on your wall.  It will help you plan your meals and nutrition in the proper ways.

Second, grab this book and accompanying planner (on the right).  Like we discussed, planning your meals is going to be really important to not gaining the freshman fifteen.  These books are great guides on how to plan this stuff while living a college student's lifestyle.  This way you won't be trying to fit other health plans to your lifestyle, but reading information specifically written for people like us!

Another great resource specifically for college students is this guide to healthy living specifically for students.  It's less than $4 and it's full of really great tips for how to avoid gaining all that extra college weight.

Really though, it's just important that you have a goal and a plan here.  Even if your goal is "I wan't to finish this year the same weight as I started it," then at least you have something to work for.  Not everyone's goal has to be to get ripped or run a marathon.  just stay healthy and look good!






We'd love it if you guys would head over to Twitter and let us know your tips for how to keep away the freshman fifteen, or give us feedback or questions about our tips!